Robin frantically pounded on the controller, mashing the buttons far too hard than what was needed. He leaned over to the side along with his shifting, animated car, squinting hard at the tv. He and Cyborg were neck and neck, with Beast Boy not trailing far behind. They were on their final lap, and he had one last trick up his sleeve to pull through to win the match.
"Oh, this is most exciting!" Starfire cheered behind them, gnawing on her fingernails as she watched the trio in anticipation. Raven rolled her eyes, but even she could not help setting down her book and redirect her attention to intense game.
The half-human meta gripped his controller as he hunched over, fully determined to win this race. "Give it up, Bird Brain." He growled between his teeth.
"In your dreams." Robin laughed heartily. The finish line was now in view, and Robin had to pin the perfect moment to use his turbo boost. One false move, and his entire plan would be foiled. His finger tentatively hovered over the button, prepared to make the final push that would determine all.
Just as he was about to press the button, a small green car whizzed passed his and Cyborg's, crossing the finish line at lightning speeds. There was a loud wail that resounded throughout the room soon afterwards as Cyborg threw his controller on the ground in a fit of rage. Robin also let out a small sound of disbelief, staring wide-eyed at the now flashing screen.
"That's cheating!" The cyborg cried, pointing a crooked finger at the green teen. Beast Boy gave a wry smile and shrugged, setting his controller aside.
"Yeah, I really thought I had that one." Robin agreed, nudging the teen playfully. The young changeling seemed to jump in surprise at the sudden touch, but quickly masked his action by a short chuckle and rubbed the nape of his neck embarrassingly.
Usually, dear reader, a victory such as this would ignite a silly dance from the green lad, or perhaps he would gloat at the top of his lungs to his competitors, causing a light-hearted argument. However, he simply gave his leader a sort of mirthless smile and shrugged.
"Yeah," He sighed. "You should've seen your faces." He said this with little emotion, but it was enough to get his cybernetic friend back on his feet in a fit of rage.
"I wanna re-match! No way am I letting a grass-stain like you beat me." Cyborg yelled, crossing his arms. Beast Boy seemed to shrink into the cushions as he said this, and aimed to disappear without seeming too obvious. However, Robin had noticed his odd demeanor and found himself answering before his bounded counterpart could open his mouth.
"Actually Cy, Beast Boy and I need to check out the security cameras from the other day." Robin announced, standing up and stretching. Beast Boy quickly stood also, offering a small smile to his flabbergasted friend.
"Sorry, Cy." He mumbled, not daring to meet his still stuttering friend in the eye. "Later, okay?"
"Friends, must you leave us so soon? We have not all spent time together for nearly a varga." Starfire asked, giving the two boys hopeful looks. Robin glanced again at Beast Boy, who was looking anywhere else but his curious teammates.
"Well we really need to-" Robin began.
"-Aw, come on, dude! Star's right, we haven't hung out in a while. We should stay." The green teen piped up, surprising Robin. He spun to meet his teammate, who was pouting up at him with his hands clasped beneath his chin. Starfire saw this and decided to join in on the sad puppy expression, even going as far as to add in a whimper for emphasis.
Perhaps Robin had read Beast Boy's demeanor wrong. He had thought his younger teammate had been reacting strangely and would rather be elsewhere, but in his current position he seemed fine. Maybe he was reading into it too deep. He sighed.
"Well I guess we can-"
"Joy!" Starfire cheered, bringing both boys into a bone-crushing hug.
"Alright BB, it's rematch time!" Cyborg hollard, rubbing his hands together maliciously. They all sat back on the couch and started a new game. However, Robin could not put his entire focus into the match. No, his gaze would often drift off to the changeling beside him, and for whatever reason, a small, unsettling feeling began to rumble in the pit of his belly.
They had spent the whole day with the other titans, and although he loved every minute of it, his focus and mind would always wander to the changeling glued beside him. There was something off about him, yet the leader could not quite place his finger on what it was. He joked, laughed, and entertained his teammates just as he would on any other day, yet he seemed different.
Whenever there was a moment of silence, Beast Boy would seem to be in a daze, and his gaze would grow distant, as if remembering something important. He would get like this for only a few quick seconds before snapping out of it and cracking a corny joke that would result in groans of displeasure. Robin did not want to pry for a reason for this behavior, but not knowing was eating him up inside. He did not like to see him so distressed.
It was strange, to say the least, how concerned and worked up over the shapeshifter he was becoming. He never before cared for the others emotions, but then again, he never opted to pay much attention to him anyways. Yet, it was bothering him so much so that he was having trouble keeping it all to himself. Every time he saw his teammate deflate, if even for a second, he had the sudden urge to comfort him, and perhaps hold him in his arms and run soothing fingers through his messy hair.
He wanted to deny these desires, but it deemed impossible. Truly.
They were beside each other every second of the day, glued at the hip. And yet, Robin did not feel at all close enough to his friend as he should be. A certain bubbling in his stomach arose whenever there bodies brushed against each other. It was a short, electrifying feeling that would make him jump in surprise. And then there were their rendezvous in the middle of the night, when Robin would awake from his night terrors. Beast Boy would be by his side almost immediately and rub small circles into his back, holding him in his arms as Robin calmed his erratic breathing. Beast Boy was his stability, whether he knew this or not.
They never discussed what happened in the night. They seemed to have an unspoken agreement to keep...whatever they were doing a secret. There was something so personal about it. It was the first time Robin found himself not caring how vulnerable he looked in front of someone else, and although he never imagined that person to be Beast Boy, he couldn't bring himself to dislike it, or even feel embarrassed.
He just wished he could bring that same feeling of stability to him as well.
Cyborg suddenly let out a loud yawn, bringing Robin out of his thoughts. He hadn't noticed the movie had ended, and now the ragtag team was beginning to gather their belongings.
"I'm hitting the hay." Cyborg announced, letting out another yawn and standing up.
"I'll be in my room." Raven monotonously stated, closing her book.
"Goodnight." Beast Boy called after them as they exited the common room. That left Starfire, Beast Boy, and Robin to watch the rolling credits go across the street.
"Star, are you not tired? It's getting pretty late." Robin asked. Starfire stopped petting Silkie, much to his displeasure, to look up at the curious duo.
"Yes," She answered. She then offered the two a warm smile. "I am just happy you two are getting the along." She ignored their surprised expressions, and instead stood up and wrapped them into a gentle embrace. After a few seconds she released them and flew to the door, giving them one last smile, before disappearing altogether.
Ah, the silence that ensued soon afterwards was not something either of them much enjoyed. Beast Boy began to twiddle with his fingers, and stared down at the floor.
"Well that was-" Robin began awkwardly.
"-Yeah." Beast Boy trailed off in agreement.
"Are you tired?" Robin asked.
Beast Boy shrugged, still not looking up from his thumbs. "Sure."
"Are you alright?" This seemed to grab the changeling's attention, and he looked up with wide eyes.
"Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be?" He said this non-to convincingly, and a bit too quickly to be overlooked.
"You just seem off, is all." Robin shrugged, not wanting to seem too burdensome.
"I'm fine. Totally peachy, dude." Beast Boy grinned, now exaggerating his motions to emphasize his words. "Never better. You really," His voice cracked and his body began to nervously bounce his legs up and down. He bit down on his lower lip, shaking his head slightly. "Really don't have to worry about me." He finished quietly.
"Beast Boy?" Robin said, scooting closer. He placed a hand on his bouncing knee, stopping it immediately. Beast Boy looked up at him, and his eyes were wide beginning to glass over. "You can talk to me, you know?"
"It's stupid, really." Beast Boy sighed, looking away. "I shouldn't even be worrying about it." Robin squeezed his knee, encouraging him to go on. Beast Boy cast a glance up at him before looking away again and taking in a big breath. "It's just…" He bit his lip and quickly rubbed his eyes. "Today's the day my parents died."
Robin had not been expecting that, to say the least.
He did not know what to say in this situation, so he just let out a lame "Oh" as a response.
"Yeah, and usually I go to a river bank and say a few words to them, update them on my life and stuff. But seeing as how things are now…"
There were several responses that went through the leader's mind at that moment. The closest riverbank was a few miles away from the outskirts of Jump City, and if what Beast Boy said was true, he would be out of commission until he returned. What if there was a crime? No one would know where he was, or if he was safe. The leader part of Robin wanted to reprimand him for sneaking off and lecture him on the dangers of what he had done. However, he's never seen the boy look so sad before, and it brought a certain pain to his chest.
"I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for." Beast Boy said with a slight chuckle. "It's stupid."
"I don't think it's stupid." There was another awkward pause between them. Robin so desperately wished to know what words would be appropriate to comfort his teammate, but alas, he lacked the ability to find the words to suit the mood.
"Can we go to bed? I'm really tired." Beast Boy quietly grumbled, breaking the silence. Robin could only watch wide-eyed as the teen stood up, and he couldn't find a reason for them to stay. Robin begrudgingly nodded, and silently followed Beast Boy out of the common room.
The sounds of their footsteps were almost deafening to Robin. He wanted to say something, anything, to make Beast Boy feel better in the way he had done for him, but the words were not coming to him. He opened his mouth a couple times, but not knowing what to say, quickly closed it and directed his attention elsewhere. All too soon, they were standing in front of his door. Yet, Robin could not bring himself to open it.
"Robin?" Beast Boy asked, looking up curiously at his leader.
"Follow me." Robin said, suddenly grabbing Beast Boy by the wrist and pulling him in the opposite direction. He was surprised that the shifter did not question his motives, and simply allowed himself to be guided to the elevator. Truly, Robin did not know what had possessed him to do this, or exactly where he was going. He just knew that he shouldn't allow Beast Boy to go to sleep in his current state. It wouldn't be right.
The elevator doors slid open, and a gust of wind swept into the enclosed box of metal. Robin seemed just as surprised to end up here as Beast Boy, and cleared his throat nervously. The night was clear with only a soft breeze and the sounds of nocturnal animals to disturb the tranquility of the night air.
"We're outside." Beast Boy stated. Robin pursed his lips, looking straight ahead to the city across the ocean.
"Yeah." Robin answered plainly. He nodded towards the dock and the two strolled to the boardwalk, overlooking the low tide of the ocean swishing across the island. They stopped once they reached the end of the boardwalk. Beast Boy folded his arms, giving his leader a questioning look. "It's no river bank, but I just thought…" He trailed off, now feeling embarrassed. "Actually, I don't know what I was thinking."
"Thanks." Beast Boy quietly answered, looking down into the water.
Robin watched him warily. "Just uh, pretend I'm not even here."
Beast Boy nodded and sat down, letting his feet dangle off the ledge. He stared down at the water and let out a wavering sigh.
"Hey Mom. Hey Dad. Sorry it's so late and we're not in our usual spot." He looked up nervously at his leader, who quickly looked away upon eye contact. "I'm in a pretty sticky situation actually. Literally." Beast Boy then let out a light chuckle that fluttered through the air. "You know my friend Robin, right?"
Robin perked up at the sound of his name, and he turned his attention back to the green teen. A slight tinge began to burn his cheeks as Beast Boy patted the space beside him, giving him a small smile of approval. Robin slowly descended into a sitting position beside his teammate, and offered him a nervous smile.
"I tell them about you all the time." Beast Boy whispered. Robin felt his body jump in surprise, and his heart began to quicken.
"Y-you do?"
"Of course. I talk about you, and the other titans, and everything that's going on in my life." He answered, shrugging.
"That's...nice of you." Robin answered as he stared down at the water and at his reflection. "You and your parents must have been close."
"We were." Beast Boy answered plainly, nodding his head. "I...I don't really remember much before the accident, but I like to think we were." Robin suddenly felt like he shouldn't have said anything, and opened his mouth to apologize, however Beast Boy beat him to it. "It's been so long that sometimes I forget what they look like. I've already forgotten what they sound like." His voice began to splinter and waver as he confessed this. Robin instinctually placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
"God… I miss them and I can't even remember them!" He cried. He buried his face in his hands and let out a sound of frustration. He sucked in a large intake of air before, running tired fingers through his hair and hunching over. "Pathetic, I know." He grumbled.
Robin dropped his hand and decided to stare down at the water below. On one hand, he was glad that he and Beast Boy had become close enough that the changeling could confide with him so intimately, especially on a subject so personal. It made him feel light, and almost special. Moments like these he presumed he set aside for someone like Cyborg, whom he was much closer to. It was heartwarming to know that he could be trusted like this. Yet, on the other hand, his heart weighed heavy, like an anvil was being stacked on top of it with every pump. He hated, absolutely loathed, seeing the changeling like this. He had to do or say something that would make him feel better.
Robin glanced at him one last time. He had a deep frown of his face as he looked down into the water. The wind was gently tossing his hair, and the moonlight was illuminating him so beautifully. However, the moonlight showed just how depressed the boy look, and it brought an unbearable pain to his stomach.
He took in a deep breath, finally knowing what was needing to be said.
"Um, hi...mister and misses," Beast boy's head snapped so fast towards his leader that Robin was sure he would receive whiplash. Robin raised his eyebrows, motioning towards the water with a shrug.
Beast Boy cleared his throat, sitting up and watching his leader curiously. "Logan."
"Logan." Robin finished with a smile. He then cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "My name is Robin and...if you don't mind," He let in a shaky breath and gripped the end of the dock. "Could you give a few words to my parents?" He did not dare look up to meet the changeling, not wanting to see the pitying expression he was sure he was receiving.
"Robin." Beast Boy's voice was breathy, as if not believing what he had heard. Robin pursed his lips together and closed his eyes. He's always chose to block the memories of his parents, for it was less painful that way. He couldn't even remember the last time he had thought of them. "Hey," Beast Boy said softly, placing a hand on top of Robin's. Robin finally looked up, meeting the changeling in the eyes. "I'm sorry." He said earnestly.
Robin smiled and nudged Beast Boy lightly. "I guess we have more in common than we thought."
Beast Boy laughed and inched closer to him and rested his head on Robin's shoulder. They both stared across the the ocean, just enjoying their newfound solace. "What were they like?" Beast Boy asked after a few passing moments. For whatever reason, Robin did not hesitate to share.
That night, dear reader, was spent sharing pleasant memories of their parents. They stayed out well past midnight, just simply enjoying each other's presence and the stories they had to tell. Time seemed to be an obscure idea, for they had completely lost track of it and before they knew it, they had fallen asleep on the boardwalk. Thus, dear reader, marking the end of the beginning of a coming to for a certain caped crusader.
Hey guys!
So as a part of my new years resolution, I want to try uploading once a week, preferably on Fridays. This will be challenging for me, but I really want to get this story finished so I can work a new story. Please keep me encouraged by leaving a review or showing your support.
Also! Next chapter there will be...a kiss. I'm so excited for this next chapter! This chapter was going to have another part to it, but it was already getting pretty lengthy and I wouldn't have had it finished yet. But don't worry, I'll make what I had in mind fit one way or another (it will be super cute).
As always, please review and let me know what you think!